About the Artist

Over the years I have heard people tell me, "I wish I knew how to draw! All I can do are stick figures..." Truth is, that's how I started too. Actually, my drawings where so bad, my fellow first graders would laugh at them.

Thankfully, I always had a support system wherever I went that kept me going. There were several times when I would be so discouraged or frustrated I wanted to give up all together. But my friends and family wouldn’t let me. If it had not been for them, I imagine I would not have progressed much from stick figure drawings either. However, support was only one side of that coin; the other was my genuine love of drawing. In fact, becoming an artist was my first career choice. When I was six years old, I would tape my drawings on the bedroom window of my friends’ house and pretend to sell them to rich art collectors. What I was lacking, however, was proper training. And it wasn’t until I turned thirteen did I receive my first art class. Even though that class was only a week long, it sparked something inside me. I started picking out ‘how to draw’ books and put a real effort into improving. Only a year later, I was the one my classmates would turn to when they needed help with a drawing. The satisfaction that came from seeing how happy they were with my work drove me to keep going. By the time I had graduated from high school I had taken all but one of the art courses the school provided and I sold my first drawing. After I turned eighteen I decided to dive into an element of the art world I knew nothing about; digital art. In some ways, I felt like I was starting all over again. I had no teacher, no training, and no clue what I was doing. In fact, my very first digital coloring is quite simply horrendous. But it was my admiration for digital art that kept me going. Shortly after I got married, my husband bought me a digital art tablet and that one gift changed my world. (Well, so to speak) After I finally got a handle on how to use the thing, my skills skyrocketed.

Now, when I hear that same phrase from someone I just smile. There is no big secret or perfect formula to drawing. If you have a strong desire to learn something, find a support team that will give you the needed push and just work at it. That's what I did and it's what I continue doing today. :)~Davina Kinney